Types of Aid

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (Pub. L. 117-2). ("ARP"). In accordance with the ARP requirements, WPI conducted direct outreach to financial aid applicants about the opportunity to receive a financial aid adjustment due to the recent unemployment of a family member or independent student, or other special circumstances, described in section 479A of the HEA.

This specific application closed on April 2, 2022; however, students may still reach out to finaid@wpi.edu to discuss extenuating special circumstances.

Special circumstances are anything that differentiates the family's finances from those of other families. Reasons for a professional judgement request may include (but are not limited to):

  • Recent unemployment
  • Recent death of wage earner
  • Recent change in marital status
  • Recent unusually high out of pocket medical expenses not reimbursed by insurance
  • Other significant, measurable, and involuntary changes in financial circumstances

**Please note that a Professional Judgement request does not guarantee approval. In addition, even if approved, the recalculation of FAFSA data does not always result in an increase of aid eligibility. If the professional judgement is not in your favor, it will not be processed.

If you have questions about this process, please email finaid@wpi.edu.